This is the review + recap page for episode 15 & 16 of the 2024 kdrama Lovely Runner.
TRIGGER WARNING - this kdrama contains difficult topics.
Air Dates: Apr 8 - May 28 2024 - [Mon/Tues]
Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Comedy, Idol/Music
Main Tropes: Time travel, emotional scars, injury, HE FALLS FIRST!!!
Synopsis: Im Sol (played by Kim Hye Yoon) was in an accident that left her paralyzed from the legs down. She didn't take it well. By chance, idol Ryu Seon Jae (played by Byeon Woo Seok) called her phone from a radio program. When he heard how desperate she was feeling, he told her to keep going. Fueled by his sudden kindness, she did. Years later, Ryu Seon Jae - now famous and performing sold out concerts - can't take the pressure and takes his own life. By some strange twist of fate, Im Sol finds herself transported to the past - before her accident. Armed with knowledge of the future, she quickly decides that she's got to change the outcome of everything.
Quick review: I put the trigger warning up top but I'm going to mention it again here, too. TRIGGER WARNING. Make sure that you are in a good headspace for episode 1. If you're someone who's gone through a major loss of function, or even a chronic illness, this opening scene will remind you of those first few moments of realising your new reality. BUT while it does have such serious topics, it's also a cute time travel romance kdrama. By the end of episode two, it's a little more light with lots of cute stuff.
Episode Recaps:
SPOILERS BELOW
Ep 15 Recap
N.B - I’ve decided to adjust how I write my recaps, and only cover the parts that I thought were important. I feel bad writing everything out in case it’s overwhelming people. Recaps are supposed to be fun! I think, anyways. I've always had different interests, so I was often left out of those kinda talks.
Im Sol caught a cold - suddenly! She passed out on the Ferris wheel, and Seon Jae has to dramatically carry her out. He takes her to his own place, gets a doctor friend to help her, and then has to placate his friends because - according to them - he never does this!
When she wakes the next morning, she tries to make a run for it. But at the last minute, he catches her and tricks her into staying for breakfast. He asks her to keep her job as repayment for the help, and she acts like she agrees but is still planning to leave.
Then he offers to drive her home, and they're caught leaving together by fans, Tae Sung, and the security guards! Im Sol quickly clarifies the situation (with a lie), and Tae Sung offers to drive her home instead. But...she left her medicine behind!
So Seon Jae drives it over to her place, and they have a cute meeting at a local park. Im Sol was trying to get her nephew to fall asleep, but he starts crying. Seon Jae intervenes and calms the nephew but then...he throws up all over Seon Jae!
So Im Sol invites Seon Jae back for him to shower. This leads to a shirtless scene, because he doesn't have anything to change into. She gets him something quickly, but just then her mom/grandmother arrive back!!
She hides him in her room, where he accidentally breaks the time capsule watch. He offers to fix it, and takes it with him. Im Sol sneaks him out again once everyone goes to sleep. But just as she shuts the front door, Seon Jae gets a flashback memory to when they shared their first kiss on one of the timelines!!
Later on, Tae Sung contacts Seon Jae about getting footage from his black box (car) to help him trace the evil taxi man. Seon Jae provides it, having another flashback.
Meanwhile, Im Sol rejects Seon Jae yet again by telling him that she already has someone she loves. She also has to reject Tae Sung not long after. She realises that both of them are starting to remember. And then it's her grandmother who tells her that the soul keeps track of all memories, even if the brain forgets.
Meanwhile, the episode takes a sudden turn. Tae Sung has caught up to the evil taxi man at work, but the taxi man drives off. A hot pursuit begins! At the same time, Im Sol is sent a version of the Sonaki song that Seon Jae had written in previous timelines: he remembered it perfectly, and she cries. Seon Jae, meanwhile, winds up the now fixed time capsule watch, and remembers absolutely everything that happened in every timeline.
It hurts him, though, so he wanders into the street. And not long after, the evil taxi man comes barreling down the road and intends to run straight into Seon Jae who doesn't see anything around him. Tae Sung speeds up, and veers into the evil taxi man's car just in time to save Seon Jae's life.
Ep 16 (final) Recap
This was a beautiful ending to this kdrama. We start the final episode off at the crash that Tae Sung forced. But...the evil taxi man is not ready to give up! He resists arrest and runs away. Tae Sung pursues, and...watches as the evil taxi man is hit by a truck and sent flying to his watery death.
Just like he had done to both Im Sol and Seon Jae in different timelines. He literally got what he gave to them. Karma, I guess?
And when that news breaks, Im Sol hurriedly checks the news and sees that Seon Jae was involved in the crash somehow! She races to the hospital only to meet Seon Jae who has woken up, remembered everything, and was running to find her, too.
He breaks the news to her that he remembers it all, and they...well, get together! Finally, and for real! Im Sol accepts him and doesn't have any fears about things going wrong anymore and we, the viewers, finally get to watch some extremely cute moments without the "but what's going to ruin it" hanging over us.
While in the middle of being super cute and lovey-dovey, though, Im Sol says "it's almost like we're newly weds" and this gets Seon Jae thinking. Immediately, he goes out and buys a ring and intends to propose to her. After meeting with her family, he plans this big beautiful proposal on a ferry. But she catches on and he panics. To add to it: she also admits that it was a dream of hers to become a film director, so she quit her job to prepare for a film contest.
He says he'll support her no matter what, but realises this isn't the right timing to propose. But - disaster! His friends were told to start things at a specific time. So Seon Jae hides Im Sol in his coat to distract her while he tries to get his friends to back off on the proposal events. He successfully hides it from her.
After she finishes filming and submits her film project, they go on a date and we see that it's spring. All the cherry blossoms are blooming. Just like in their youth, they catch a falling petal to make a wish. Only this time, Seon Jae slipped the ring in with the petals. It becomes the most perfect proposal because this type of moment is meaningful to them both. She says yes, and then they both see a premonition of their wedding!
What a cute way to end the show!
My TMI for this recap:
The one thing I really didn't like (and it's becoming a trend with me) is the "someone caught a cold and needed to be cared for" trope. Basically, Im Sol got a cold, and a high fever, and her life was at stake - suddenly! I expect it's probably because she spent all afternoon outside, staring at the heart seat place. But there was no shivering or anything when she got on the Ferris wheel so it felt like it came out of nowhere. Blah. That's a me thing, though. I don't like that in *any* kdrama.
Aside from that - I kinda loved episode 15. And I think 16 is finally going to be lots of cute stuff and I'M SO READY FOR IT!
Oh: and I also saw a theory that Tae Sung was the wild card, and the reason that Im Sol/Seon Jae could finally get unstuck from their loop of dying to the evil taxi man. And...I think that's right. And to add to that: I think because Im Sol saved Tae Sung from a life of crime (by helping him graduate high school/showing him kindness), that might be some kinda balancing karma that he's repaying?
OH...ps...Seonghwa updated everyone. Jongho didn't have a special reason for picking this drama /cry. He received the project before knowing which drama it would go with. Oh well - I guess that's how the industry works, and my heart is a little too romantic/imaginative sometimes. I still think it's very meaningful that they put his voice with this drama specifically, though.
Update for ep 16: I'm so sad that it's all over now 🙁 But the writer did a great job including lots of foreshadowing and little details that connected to the main plot. They even gave us a beautiful ending on top of it. So I'm really glad that I stuck with this kdrama. I almost didn't at first because the first episode really got to me. It's really hard to come to terms with a change in function, especially when we look back and can see how it could have been prevented. But it got a lot lighter after the first episode, so I'm glad I stuck with it!
If you're also watching this drama, let me know what you think over on X (Twitter)!
Photo credit: these are just screenshots I took from watching the drama!